The Man

"He chose a sports car as the first vehicle for DMC because it would help establish an image, an image incidentally that parallels John Z’s feelings about himself... youthful, aggressive and adventurous." - Autoweek

John Z. DeLorean was an up and coming automotive force after designing the Pontiac GTO. Becoming the youngest Vice President of GM in the early seventies, DeLorean envisioned new dreams. He wished to compete against the big three automotive companies, so he left GM and started his own car company.

The first model was to be called the DMC-12. Intended to be a safe, ethical, and sleek sports car, DeLorean aimed to begin production by the late seventies. This was an unrealistic goal, since DeLorean needed a few extra years to raise the capital and decide which government would invest in building a state of the art factory. Northern Ireland was the highest bidder at the end, and the factory was built in record time. The DMC-12 did begin production in early 1981. Forced to make decisions to save the company, DeLorean was entrapped by the Government for cocaine trafficking. Acquitted of all charges years later, the DeLorean Motor Car Company was closed in late 1982.

After producing roughly 8,500 vehicles, the dream came to an end. He lived out the rest of his life in New Jersey, attempting to peacefully live in retirement. In 2000, he was forced to sell his NJ estate (which is now a Trump golf course), and lived the remaining five years of his life in a condo in NJ. John Zachary DeLorean passed away on March 19th, 2005 from complications after a stroke. He was 80 years old.

Too much is talked about the failure of DeLorean, and not about the accomplishments of DeLorean. To consider what he almost pulled off is amazing. Mr. DeLorean built a state of the art factory, began mass-producing vehicles, and was completely independent of other manufacturers. It would have only gotten better had financial troubles not defeated him. I will always consider DeLorean a respectable individual who made one of the greatest cars ever. I thank him for this.